Operating mechanism of vehicular toys



Feb. 15, 1938. M, FUJ 2,108,434

OPERATING MECHANISM OF VEHICULAR TOYS Filed Dec. 22, 1936 INVENTOR.

Mnsnmcm FuJ'ii v v 'ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb, l5, 3

ornnarma a SM F VEHIC klchl mi Nippon llilaehi, Arakawa Kn, 'iiohyo, Ja

Application December 22, 1936, Serial No. 117,118

3 (Claims.

The present invention relates to an improvement in the operating mechanism of vehicular toys, especially toy motor cars, toy tram cars, toy animals, etc.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a mechanical toy of the vehicular type having reversing means operable byv contact with the surface over which the vehicle is traveling,

, and means actuable by contact with an obstacle in the path of the vehicle for lowering the reversing means into contact with the surface over which the vehicle is moving.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mechanical toy of the character described and having means operable by said obstacle-contacting means to vary the directionof forward movement of the vehicle.

The'characteristic feature of this invention may be clearly understood from the following detailed 29 explanation with regard .to the accompanying drawing, and it is needless to say that the present invention may have its construction altered variously within the scope of the claims. I

Figure l is a plan of a toy automobile fitted with the operating mechanism of this invention and having its cover removed;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the same; m

Figure 3 is a partialcross section showing the mechanism when movingforward;

Figure 4 is a cross section of the same showing othe mechanism when moving backward;

Figure 5 is a perspective of a mutilated gear forming part of the invention; a

Figure 6 is a perspective of an operating mem ber and slidable member and Figure 7 is a perspective of a complete toy automobile embodying the present invention.

As shown in the drawing, a frame 2 secured to the base plate i of the body is equipped with a spring motor 3 which is wound up by a. driving shaft t. A toothed wheel 5 rotated by the spring motor 3 turns one of the rear wheels, for instance the wheel 9, in the forward direction by means of a pinion B, toothed wheel I and pinion t, the above wheel Q being keyed to a shaft l0 mounted in the frame 2 and a supporting arm it. A toothed wheel Ii fixed to said shaft it is engaged with a pinion i2, which is secured fixedly together with the wheel It on a shaft in the frame 2 and the shaft projects outside said frame 2 and is provided with a pinion it keyed to its end, while the other rear wheel i5 is fitted freely on the end portion of a crank shaft it separately from the axle of the wheel 9, and a mutilated gear l8 provided with a laterally extending tongue Japan December 27, 1935 if is secured to the above shaft id at the outside of the frame 2 (see Figure 5). Said mutilated gear it is not engaged with the pinion it during theforward movement of the body, the said pinion being normally opposite the toothless portion of the gear It. .On the front base plate of the body is a slidable member 20 having a bumper, l9 projecting from its end. The rear end ill of said member is bent to be engaged with an operating member 22 extending to the outside of the frame through the slots of the guide members 23 and 2d of the frame 2. A pawl 25 at the ..inside of the above member 22 normally contacts with the projection ll of the mutilated gear it. The slidable member 20 and the operating member 22 are held in a fixed position by a helical spring 25 and one of the front wheels, for instance the wheel 21, is maintained out of contact with the floor or other surface on which the car runs, by the inclination of a shaft 28.

During forward movement of the vehicle, should its bumper l9 encounter an obstruction, such for instance as a wall, fence or other obstacle, the force of the impact will cause the bumper and thereby the operating member 22 to move backward against the tension of the spring 26, thereby moving the pawl 25 out of engagement with the tongue H and leaving the mutilated gear it free to rotate with the crank shaft it sumciently to bring the toothed portion of said gear' into mesh with the pinion it. The crank shaft it will thus be rotated so as to raise the wheel it relatively to the vehicle body, whereby the latter will assume the inclined position shown in Fig. 4, so that the wheel it engages the surface over which the vehicle is moving, thus causing the vehicle to move backward. When the mutilated gear has made one complete revolution the crank axle i6 is returned to its normal position so that the vehicle is restored to its horizontal position and the tongue ll is engaged by the pawl 25 under the action of the spring 25, whereupon the vehicle is ready for forward movement. It will be obvious that during the backward or reverse movement, owing to the frictional contact of the reversing wheel it with the floor surface, the direction of the vehicle is automatically changed so that when next it. moves forward it will avoid the obstruction in its path.

I claim:

'1. Operating mechanism of vehicular toys, which comprises a movable body, a spring motor provided therein, one of the rear wheelsof the vehicle being rotated for forward movement by said motor, a normally inoperative reversing 5 wheel, the other rear wheel being mounted freely upon a crank shaft separated from said iirstnamed rear wheel, a bumper provided in front of said movable body and a transmission mechanism connected with said bumper and adapted for liberating the above crank shaft, the wheel on the crank shaft being lifted from a floor through the transmission mechanism when the movable body strikes against an obstacle so that the reversing wheel is brought into contact with the floor.

2. Operating mechanism of vehicular toys, which comprises a body having a bottom plate, a spring motor mounted on a frame secured to said bottom plate, one of the rear wheels being rotated for iorwsrd=movement by said motor,

the other rear wheel being mounted freely on acrank shaft separated from the first-named wheel, a toothed wheel rotated reversely by said spring motor and normally inoperative, a pin- .ion projecting beyond the frame and fixed to the axis of said reversing wheel, a mutilated gear disposed opposite to said pinion and fixed on said crank shaft and also having a laterally extending tongue, a bumper projecting from the front end of the body, a slidable plate associated with said bumper, an operating member engaged with said slidable plate at one end and provided with a pawl normally in engagement with the tongue of the mutilated gear, and a spring for maintaining the tongue and pawl in engagement by pulling the slidable plate and operating member.

3. A vehicular toy comprising a bodyv having front and rear wheels, 9. spring motor geared to one of the rear wheels for driving the vehicle forward, a crank shaft mounted for rotation in said body the other rear wheel being mounted for rotation on said crank shaft, a normally inoperative reversing gear, a gear secured to said crank shaft and adapted to rotate the same thereby to lower the body at one side, means normally holding said gear against rotation, means operable by contact with an obstacle in the path of the vehicle to release said holding means, and means operable upon lowering of the body to contact with the surface over which the vehicle is traveling and effective to place the crank shaft gear in mesh with the reversing gear.

MASAEICHI FUJII. 

